Ministers put airport scanners to the test

The merits and drawbacks of using body scanners at airports will be argued over by the EU’s transport ministers when they meet in La Coruña, Spain, tomorrow (12 February).

They will be discussing how to improve airport security following last year’s failed attempt to blow up a plane flying from Amsterdam to Detroit.

No member state is expected to oppose outright the use of the scanners, which produce a near-naked image of passengers, although many are likely to restate concerns about privacy. Several governments are reserving judgement about whether to introduce the scanners in national airports until the European Commission has published a report on health and privacy issues.

One national government diplomat said there was no clear ‘Yes’ or ‘No’ on body scanners. Any decision on whether to use the scanners in airports would have to consider their impact on human health and dignity, as well as whether they led to real gains in security. Another said: “It cannot be the only way of protecting passengers, but one of many [ways]. We want the Commission to analyse the health and human dignity aspects.”

Spain wants to upgrade regulations on airport security during the six months that it holds the presidency of the Council of Ministers. Tomorrow’s discussion is open-ended, with no set topics or laws to discuss.

Siim Kallas, the European commissioner for transport, yesterday told MEPs that EU standards on aviation security had been correctly implemented during the Amsterdam-Detroit bomb attempt. “The incident showed first of all the failure of intelligence – a failure to connect the dots,” he said.

Congestion

The ministers will also debate whether the EU has a role in tackling congestion in cities. Last year, the Commission published an action plan on urban mobility that set out 20 measures, ranging from how the EU can improve access to public transport for disabled passengers to how cities can make better use of EU funds.

But Germany is concerned that the Commission may be treading on national law-making competence in this area, while other countries are also wary of the EU being involved in city transport. Spain will ask ministers to consider whether the EU should play an active role in promoting better urban transport, although the answer appears decided. A paper circulated to the ministers ahead of the meeting says that the Council will “presumably” adopt “harmonised, shared and non-binding” conclusions on urban mobility in June.